The Animal Free Labcast

In 2020, Baroness Sue Hayman became the first Member of the House of Lords to be introduced in faux fur robes, an unsurprising choice given her strong political record on supporting animal welfare. In this episode, Sue tells Carla about how a university tour opened her eyes to animal suffering, led her into animal welfare campaigning, and eventually to Westminster, where she has been proud to give...

To mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Carla is joined by Professor Valerie Spiers, breast cancer researcher at the University of Aberdeen supported by Animal Free Research UK. In their conversation, you’ll hear how Val is using fascinating organ-on-a-plate technology to study the spread of cancer, and how her research could benefit patients in the not-too-distant future. Tune in to find out how V...

In this episode, Carla is joined by actor and Animal Free Research UK Patron Carol Royle. They discuss the moment Carol was awakened to the need to speak up for animals, and her experience of being an animal advocate in the 1970s through to present day. Stay tuned until the end to hear a powerful poem by Carol, along with a definition of the spiritual doctrine “Ahimsa” which guides her life. Thank...

Converting extracted human wisdom teeth into heart cells – no, not science fiction but reality in Professor Chris Denning’s lab at the University of Nottingham. In this episode, Carla talks to Chris about the important work he and his team do at the Biodiscovery Institute on heart disease, and the path that led him there.   Chris shines a light on how “Modern Day Alchemy”, as he calls it, is pavin...

Ever wondered what how we can beat the aging process and lead a long, healthy life? In this episode Carla catches up with Professor Lorna Harries who researches such things along with her team at our Animal Replacement Centre of Excellence at the University of Exeter – also known as ARC 2.0.   Lorna takes us through her amazing and very successful animal free research work on diabetes and Covid 19...

World-class pioneer of biomedical research and innovation, Dr Don Ingber, is the founding director of Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering.  In 2010, Dr Ingber developed a lung-on-a-chip - the first of its kind - and has continued to lead the field by developing numerous other organ chip models, demonstrating their ability to faithfully mimic human physiology a...

Professor of Neuroscience at Durham University, Amanda Ellison discusses her career – and how she helped develop a new human research technique - Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) which has revolutionised neuroscience and is making a difference for monkeys and patients.   She offers her thoughts on where cutting edge new approaches will take the medical research community - and how she is in...

In this episode Dr Jarrod Bailey, Animal Free Research UK’s Science Director, highlights the issues surrounding the use of animals in medical research and drug testing - and makes a plea for the status quo to be broken.  He  dismantles the arguments often made by those who advocate animal use, and details how so-called new approach methodologies – NAMs – are revolutionising the transition to anima...

Dr Jarrod Bailey, Animal Free Research UK’s Science Director, recounts in the first of two shows how at the start of his career, he became convinced animal free research is the only way to find better treatments  for human diseases, from Alzheimer’s to cancer, heart disease and diabetes. In this episode, Jarrod talks about his passion for animals and an epiphany he had as a child when seeing his o...

The Animal Free Labcast is hosted by the CEO of Animal Free Research UK, Carla Owen, and is a frank, lively exchange of ideas and experiences by leading scientists, policy makers and animal protection ambassadors - all of whom seek a kinder science. Carla and her guests cut through the noise and complexities to break down the urgent need to accelerate human relevant science and end the medical eme...